Remembering the Old Theatres of Downtown Jacksonville

The historic Florida Theatre is one of downtown Jacksonville’s greatest sources of activity and entertainment, and aside from a three-year closure in the ‘80s, it has been since it opened in 1927.

But did you know that Florida Theatre was originally one of several theatres along Forsyth Street?

Back in downtown Jax’s heyday, around a dozen other theatres could be found within its central core. Most of them were every bit as lavish and well-designed as the Florida Theatre – a few were even designed by the same architect, Roy A. Benjamin.

They served an important purpose, adding to the full cultural experience of the city during an era when downtown Jax was filled with high-end department stores and even-higher-end hotels.

Of course, as the downtown area began to decline, those department stores and hotels closed their doors permanently. It became clear that the area could no longer support the number of theatres that existed.

Those theatres gradually died off unceremoniously – and, as was the standard in Jacksonville until recently, their buildings were torn down rather than being preserved for reuse.

Today, Florida Theatre seems to adequately provide for the current level of activity in downtown Jax. But imagine how helpful it would be to have even one or two of those lost theatres around now, as the city looks to reinvigorate the area’s entertainment options. Or what could have been done with those historic buildings, even if the theatres themselves didn’t survive.

We’ve profiled a select few of those long-lost theatres of downtown Jax below, so that at the very least they won’t be forgotten.

ARCADE / CENTER THEATRE

Records show that the single-screen Arcade Theatre opened in the mid-1910s, in a building that was originally constructed for vaudeville acts.

Designed by Roy A. Benjamin, the theatre sat on a block between Adams, Forsyth, Laura, and Main streets and featured entrances on both Forsyth and Adams streets. It fit well over 1,000, allowing for large crowds despite having only one screen.

At some point in the 1960s, the theatre underwent a significant remodel and was rebranded as Center Theatre.

The rebrand bought the theatre some time, but it still ended up shutting down in the ‘80s. The building remained vacant until it partially collapsed in the early 2000s. The remainder of the structure was demolished and the site was cleared.

The property it sat on remains vacant, but it will soon be utilized for part of VyStar Credit Union’s proposed parking garage at Laura and Adams.

EMPRESS THEATRE

The Empress Theatre, sitting at 18 E. Forsyth Street, was smaller and not quite as decadent as the theatres that were built in the years after its building first opened.

Originally home to another business, the Empress’s building was constructed shortly after the Great Fire of 1901 – but the theatre didn’t come into the equation until the ‘20s.

It was noted as a popular theatre for black residents making a downtown outing, as well as hosting vaudeville acts early in its lifespan.

The Empress was torn down, along with a few other theatres, in the 1970s to make room for a parking structure to serve the new Independent Life building. Today, it’s still home to the same parking structure.

IMPERIAL THEATRE

A few years after Empress Theatre’s building was finished, another new structure was built next door: the Imperial Theatre.

Located at 26 E. Forsyth Street, the Imperial held just under 1,000 people. Like the Arcade, it was designed by Roy A. Benjamin.

It opened in 1907 next door to what would later become the Empress and was branded around bringing in “quality” films. Gradually, higher-end offerings nearby forced it to align itself with the Empress, to the point that the two theatres were somewhat hard to distinguish from each other by the end of their lifespans.

Imperial Theatre was demolished, along with the Empress, to make room for a parking garage.

PALACE THEATRE

In 1919, a third building filled in along the same block of Forsyth Street.

Known as the Palace Theatre, it was yet another work of Roy A. Benjamin. It was commissioned by S.A. Lynch, who also commissioned the construction of the nearby Lynch Building.

The three-story theatre building could fit just under 1,900 despite having just one screen. Early on, the theatre’s niche was vaudeville acts, but as those decreased in popularity, film showings took over as the theatre’s main operation.

Despite the building’s size and decadence, the city opted to make it part of its early-‘70s demolition of the entire Forsyth theater block in favor of Independent Life’s parking structure.

ST. JOHNS THEATRE

The St. Johns Theatre at 109 W. Forsyth Street was the most recently built of the old downtown theatres – and also the quickest to go out of business.

The 1,100-seat theatre opened in the early 1940s next to Barnett National Bank. It’s not to be confused with another local St. Johns Theatre, which was located on St. Johns Avenue.

It was designed by Robert E. Collins, who also designed Edgewood Theater which would later be converted into a campus for the now-defunct Jones College.

Unfortunately, the theatre was a victim of its own location. It was demolished in the early ‘60s to make room for Barnett National Bank’s expansion.